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The Tablecloth

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发表于 2009-10-30 12:04 | 显示全部楼层 |阅读模式
老杨团队,追求完美;客户至上,服务到位!
Beautiful story.... makes you understand that things happen for a reason7 }: q" ?$ l! u( _
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0 R1 t& }  r4 d, s9 \2 h8 Z0 D0 q$ t
/ q: b/ Q* g; |8 T7 `0 R; O The brand new pastor and his wife, newly assigned
$ W! @2 ^/ \* Z3 p  Fto their first ministry, to reopen a church * _, i- }/ o# \. P6 s) S! ]# H; r2 K
in suburban Brooklyn , arrived in early October
# Q4 J! k6 I3 `6 T6 Aexcited about their opportunities. When they saw ) G+ J  Z5 d4 @' g
their church, it was very run down and needed ( E* D; q* ^5 M
much work. They set a goal to have everything 8 q* a) |7 M" d1 ]
done in time to have their first service ( N4 {. K+ t* f/ ~) Z) b* S  m
on Christmas Eve.
: M4 R( q6 ]( v. V* n  fT hey worked hard, repairing pews, plastering walls,
) {0 J- c" [# k7 _9 i) Fpainting, etc, and on December 18
8 [# ?% c4 W5 _4 O4 _# U0 Lwere ahead of schedule and just about finished.
$ s7 @' ^, r  S. }7 r8 W' WO n December 19 a terrible tempest - a driving + x8 r  H8 f" l3 |) a4 q
rainstorm hit the area and lasted for two days. " w1 I7 K3 m% {* d3 v* u
O n the 21st, the pastor went over to the church.. K. D; t8 b! Z/ T( z/ N: W/ C5 |
His heart sank when he saw that the roof had
2 B8 ?2 D7 t& `- m8 Z, Yleaked, causing a large area of plaster about $ W3 R1 P. l4 l- p. ?/ t5 l
20 feet by 8 feet to fall off the front wall
$ t- F, l* C9 {, tof the sanctuary just behind the pulpit, % D4 B( {! Y6 n) ~% S
beginning about head high. 6 d6 [; w6 t( |% n
T he pastor cleaned up the mess on the floor,
: R' s1 E, a1 X7 X* m! h/ [2 Sand not knowing what else to do but postpone
  r5 g; P" j! B: L$ \the Christmas Eve service, headed home.
9 V3 @7 Y' f( I/ WOn the way he noticed that a local business was ' Y7 h# D" j$ w1 P1 u
having a flea market type sale for charity, so he
# M* Q4 _, ]! E% @" ?6 g3 u6 tstopped in. One of the items was a beautiful, ( ~) f! j- Q8 }* ?' T4 _
handmade, ivory colored, crocheted tablecloth
4 r+ X8 b( O' E% D1 b7 Gwith exquisite work, fine colors and a Cross 3 z. w% W6 E; l( E
embroidered right in the center. It was just  7 }0 X( i  Z, o

/ Q- C9 i/ L2 W& j* ?  C; \& b& N# M
8 V5 k# @: U2 j4 V& t$ \
; P- f( w* u2 _9 `" W' @! R; T: F  {" Q( |3 l& K

) W6 s5 {6 c4 s3 Q" I) Y" Y' m: k
the right size to cover the hole in the front all. He bought it and headed back to the church.
: l0 u: q& c7 c9 K& P5 ~B y this time it had started to snow. An older
; g9 l8 Z  x1 d* i/ Lwoman running from the opposite direction was
3 R, J9 ~6 v! d: s* e8 y2 strying to catch the bus. She missed it. The pastor
) K6 Y) V# \6 Y+ ^. U8 [1 F; p+ \# ainvited her to wait in the warm church for 0 N) L7 Z. ~+ r# X
the next bus 45 minutes later. ! m0 T* Q5 h( J6 w. X0 u
+ p/ E: `! y' q) p; h# m
She sat in a pew and paid no attention to the pastor - \8 m( u5 ~& G5 Z8 U# \
while he got a ladder, hangers, etc., to put . j1 E; K8 H* \
up the tablecloth as a wall tapestry. The pastor 7 X8 r: y& S  b1 }- h$ H
could hardly believe how beautiful it looked and it covered up the entire problem area. ; p5 ~' K3 D$ x6 o$ r2 Z# `  b
T hen he noticed the woman walking down the center
! ]4 m; e( y# D+ t+ ?; e2 Taisle. Her face was like a sheet. "Pastor,"
& n* N* ^/ \2 Cshe asked, "where did you get that tablecloth?" % ^! A% A' `4 _6 ]
The pastor explained. The woman asked him to check$ U% Z  n# J  m
the lower right corner to see if the initials, EBG were crocheted into  i& k2 c+ P: B" D1 Z
it there. They were. These were the initials of the woman, and she had ! ]$ h: C! l$ L. e4 y1 @- J
made this tablecloth 35 years before, in Austria . 8 J( F9 O. [. l
T he woman could hardly believe it as the pastor
; m! Y* v9 v2 L1 ?3 utold how he had just gotten "The Tablecloth". The
  H( l8 u6 N" o7 R) [! p. ]* h+ o: `7 e9 Zwoman explained that before the war she and
( _: V% d1 X* [$ uher husband were well-to-do people in Austria . : y: D1 }" y: s% ^" C5 O( V# W

/ J0 `2 p. Q6 I6 YWhen the Nazis came, she was forced to leave.
: e  e5 O! k6 C) P: L3 `Her husband was going to follow her the next week. % Q7 g% T$ Z! i5 {
He was captured, sent to prison and never saw her 3 H7 D+ D5 Z3 |. x1 N
husband or her home again.
& |* \( A! j* N+ `T he pastor wanted to give her the tablecloth;
( B9 A5 f) q( @but she made the pastor keep it for the church.
0 v: o' d3 ~7 j# v. a$ Z, R, ~The pastor insisted on driving her home. That
. H+ W# A- n; ~was the least he could do. She lived on the other- A; L8 x$ t8 b9 u; A- s8 u* P* x' O$ P
side of Staten Island and was only in Brooklyn  
4 Z! E& X6 ?, l' b* Jfor the day for a housecleaning job.
& h) o* g2 w. z- BW hat a wonderful service they had on Christmas
- R6 A, ~5 K5 h/ z3 y( {Eve. The church was almost full. The music and the & H8 H+ r: _% T0 A& `# D* h1 h
spirit were great. At the end of the service, the 7 r, ~% v  b+ a
pastor and his wife greeted everyone at the door
1 ~+ g2 O2 J7 X' Y# D& q9 M' x. {and many said that they would return..
# E2 B; N! p% o' |  }, B) GOne older man, whom the pastor recognized
! `+ a+ S- A$ W  X. X( e$ ]/ }5 Q/ Nfrom the neighborhood continued to sit in one of the
& T0 g- X* Q. I; D/ s* X  [pews and stare, and the pastor wondered why he
/ Y8 c3 e8 N- o5 Dwasn't leaving. $ {& D$ v* `  C+ D0 }+ l
The man asked him where he got the tablecloth on 7 S) F" z; o" l1 d- G% d
the front wall because it was identical to one
4 P$ ?5 r5 D( E+ G" c5 h9 q: o1 a1 \that his wife had made years ago when   g7 @) [% \% u& o: I' t* Q) i
they lived in Austria before the war and how
7 d2 {( `+ u( g8 u0 M, ucould there be two tablecloths so much alike?
0 }# l! X0 L3 @1 {H e told the pastor how the Nazis came, how he
. q' e2 R" l1 w; aforced his wife to flee for her safety and he was 1 x: O5 _# t7 ~, H
supposed to follow her, but he was arrested and6 d/ N/ z; u2 f. \! P  b! s) e' `
put in a prison.  He never saw his wife or his home; Y* k5 _6 q) ?* U: p1 n- B
again all the 35 years between.
8 m- P# t" L6 a) fT he pastor asked him if he would allow him to
3 C- _8 a8 x* v: Q5 xtake him for a little ride. They drove to Staten . k5 [# j' U% b: S: r( e
Island and to the same house where the pastor
/ ^7 {& [( ^$ o4 m6 [had taken the woman three days earlier. ! {2 Z5 \; K% k% I3 j" t+ l! V' o
He helped the man climb the three flights of- I. X1 ~8 @) D! h$ R
stairs to the woman's apartment, knocked on; R  ]. ?& t6 m) H8 Y/ k
the door and he saw the greatest Christmas
9 g+ ~+ c& [$ |- _* V7 y' Yreunion he could ever imagine.4 _, p% e* C. I: Q  p
T rue Story - submitted by Pastor Rob Reid 8 D6 c4 h  \, [
who says God does work in mysterious ways.: Q+ n8 f+ D$ l* ]6 O
I asked the Lord to bless you as I prayed for
3 H# d( V8 g7 pyou today, to guide you and protect you as you go % N( V3 x9 y- R* M  W' A& B
along your way. His love is always with you. His
' r' F. }' J  E0 m( T  ~* Spromises are true, and when we give Him all our
% g2 m7 u- c' T7 hcares we know He will see us through. : H  c  M4 N9 K4 \
S o when the road you're traveling seems & O& \+ }+ }8 F1 H; s
difficult at best, just remember I'm here
- ~/ ]5 ]4 R  v8 x+ tpraying and God will do the rest. Pass this on   e; u/ R+ Z! v( V, i
to those you want God to bless and remember
% n4 w; M% {4 u1 c! k1 Tto send it back to the one who asked God to bless
! O2 E1 w# h* W# l& d- |you first. 4 `2 R8 S8 A& E1 r9 O4 j
W hen there is nothing left but God, that is when
5 x8 p$ y" D0 @  R2 r7 o/ o1 Kyou find out that God is all you need Take 60
. e+ [% h1 d0 w! r  F% Sseconds and give this a shot! All you do is simply$ M7 b6 [: O) I4 h" _/ N
say the following small prayer for the person
% H: Y: J- U8 _% nwho sent this to you.! }. O1 {. {# m; l" z% g
Father, G od, bless all my friends and family in what . j9 r8 s8 N3 G0 o* m4 S
ever it is that You know they may be needing this ; W3 B( {! b: k% ]: b
day! May their lives be full of Your peace,
' z  M. Z1 I' ]6 Y0 Q/ @4 y9 Sprosperity and power as they seek to have a / q5 ^2 W6 H/ }- k  V8 Z
closer relationship with You. Amen.
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发表于 2009-10-30 15:24 | 显示全部楼层
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